Applying to med school isn’t cheap (see our breakdown of costs here), and the AAMC understands that not all applicants will be able to cover these costs.

AAMC’s Fee Assistance Program was created with the conviction that application fees shouldn’t prevent serious aspiring doctors from pursuing their dreams because of financial obstacles.

Let’s take a look at some of the program details for 2019…

Applying to the Fee Assistance Program

To apply for financial assistance, applicants must fill out the Fee Assistance Program application BEFORE they register for the MCAT or submit the AMCAS.

Note: The financial assistance from this program MAY NOT be used retroactively. If applicants already paid for certain application components, they will NOT be reimbursed.

You can use the application guide to help you with your Fee Assistance Program application.

After you submit your application, you will have to send in all of the required documentation (see the official list of documents here).

Once all of the documents are received, your application will receive a review status of “Submitted and Pending Verification.” It can take up to seven business days to review your application once it reaches this status. If a decision can be made based on the application and documents that you submitted, you will receive an email telling you if you are eligible or ineligible for fee assistance. If a decision cannot be made on your application, you will receive an email requesting further documentation.

Fee Assistance Program Eligibility

To be eligible for assistance from the AAMC, you must:

• Be a United States citizen, U.S. National, a lawful permanent resident (LPR) of the U.S. (“Green Card” holder), or have been granted refugee/asylum or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status by the U.S. government.
• For the previous calendar year, have a reported household income 300% or less than the 2018 national poverty level for the equivalent family size.
• Submit parental financial information and supporting tax documentation.
• Not have already been awarded fee assistance five times (the lifetime maximum).

Note: You can use your Fee Assistance Program award benefits for up to two calendar years. Awards expire December 31st of the calendar year after you were granted assistance (for example, if your application is approved January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2020, then your fee assistance will expire on December 31, 2020). If you reapply for benefits the following year, your current award will expire as soon as your new award is granted.

(See more about program eligibility here.)

2019 Fee Assistance Program Benefits

MCAT benefits you will receive include:

• Reduced registration fees from $315 to $125 in MCAT exams until December 31, 2020.
• Copies of The Official Guide to the MCAT® Exam, Fifth Edition and other official MCAT practice products ($236 value).
• Up to $800 towards the psycho-educational or medical evaluation (sometimes required for your MCAT accommodations application).

Medical school admission benefits include:

• Free access to the Medical School Admission Requirements website through December 31, 2019 ($54 value).
• Waiver of AMCAS application fees (for one application with up to 20 med schools). Must be submitted by December 31, 2019 ($911 value).

Don’t forget – there’s also the cost of reapplying if you don’t succeed the first time. Make sure that this application is your last application when you work one-on-one with an expert admissions advisor. Check out our consulting and editing services now, and get accepted!

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Related Resources:

• How to Finance Your Medical School Journey, a free webinar
• What’s the Cost of Applying to Med School?
• How an Accepted Med School Admissions Consultant Can Help You